1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shallow water anchors and more particularly to manually operated shallow water anchors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typical marine anchors for small boats comprise a heavy metal anchor with an irregular shape, which is attached to the boat via a long chain or rope. The anchor and chain/rope are usually stored on the deck of the boat or in a compartment on the deck. When use of the anchor is necessary, it is picked up and thrown into the water. The anchor subsequently rests on the floor or bottom of the body of water and secures the boat to a fixed location due to the weight of the anchor. Typical marine anchors, however, come with their share of drawbacks.
Because typical marine anchors have a long rope or chain attaching them to a boat, they can often become tangled or snagged on various items. This requires the user to untangle or un-snag the rope or chain before it can be deployed—a tedious and time-consuming process. Further, the heavy weight of the anchor requires the user to carefully pick up the anchor and throw it overboard so as to avoid hitting the fragile deck or hull of the boat and cause damage—a feat that requires strength, balance and agility. The user encounters a similar situation when retracting the anchor from the ocean or lake bottom. Additionally, when deploying or retracting the anchor, the unwieldy nature of the marine anchor often causes substantial noise that is distracting and can scare off fish, which is not desirable for a fisherman. Lastly, the heavy nature of the anchor can cause damage to the ocean or lake bottom since the anchor can be dragged or may move around. This is not desirable in areas where fragile ocean life resides, such as reefs and underwater vegetation areas.
Fishing in shallow or littoral waters brings up an additional set of requirements for an anchor. In shallow water, for example, fish are confined to a smaller area, thereby requiring that the fisherman be extra quiet when propelling and deploying/retracting an anchor. Further, during shallow water fishing, a fisherman typically moves around frequently as he attempts fishing in different spots. This requires frequent deployment and retraction of an anchor. As such, an anchor that requires substantial time and energy to deploy and retract can be burdensome to a fisherman in a shallow water environment.
One approach to this problem is a mechanized marine anchor system that automates the process of deploying and retracting an anchor. Mechanized marine anchor systems typically utilize electrical power to energize an electrical motor having a mechanical means for deploying and retracting an anchor. Although this type of system eliminates the need for manual operation, a mechanized marine anchor system requires an electrical system that is operational during deployment and retraction of an anchor. This is not always easily available in a small boat such as a flats boat. Furthermore, a motor may cause excessive noise, which is not desirable in a shallow water environment, as described above. Lastly, a mechanized marine anchor system comprises a complicated system with multiple moving parts and electrical terminals, which are prone to malfunctioning, especially in a saltwater environment.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above, and particularly for a more efficient way for deploying and retracting an anchor in shallow water.